Hair dryer hood

ABSTRACT

A hair dryer hood formed of a flexible material that is inflatable into a helmet shape, the hood being self-supporting without being carried by or in contact with the user&#39;&#39;s head, and being collapsible into a small space when not in use. The flexible material comprises inner and outer sheets secured together with primary and secondary air passages between the sheets, and a plurality of apertures in the inner sheet permitting warm air to be distributed to all areas inside the hood.

United States Patent Albert E. Simon, Jr. Fort Washington, Pa.;

lnventors William ,1. Rakocy, Clifton, NJ.

Sept. 27, 1967 Aug. 24, 1971 Roman Corporation Woodbridge, NJ.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee HAIR DRYER HOOD 4 Claims, 20 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl Int.Cl Field of Search References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 1949 Fluegel 3,113,848 12/1963 Clark 34/99 3,374,551 3/1968 Petrick 34/99 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,067,853 5/1967 Great Britain 34/99 367,291 3/1963 Switzerland 34/99 Primary ExaminerFrederick I... Matteson Assistant Examiner-Harry B. Ramey Anomey- Marvin Trimas ABSTRACT: A hair dryer hood formed of a flexible material that is inflatable into a helmet shape, the hood being self-supporting without being carried by or in contact with the user's head, and being collapsible into a small space when not in use. The flexible material comprises inner and outer sheets secured together with primary and secondary air passages between the sheets, and a plurality of apertures in the inner sheet permitting warm air to be distributed to all areas inside the hood.

PATENTEU AUG24I97I 3.600.821

SHEET 1 OF 4 INVENTORS Wnzk, 7- 9M ATTO EU PATENTED Au -24191:. 3.600.821

saw u or 4 FIG: /.9

HAIR DRYER HOOD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention pertains to hoods for hair dryers, and more particularly to flexible hoods forrnable into a helmet shape when operative and collapsible when inoperative.

2. Description of the Prior Art The basic components of prior art hair dryers include an electric motor and fan combination for providing an airflow, a heater for warming the air, and a hood for enclosing the upper portion of a persons head and for receiving and distributing the warmed air to dry the persons hair.

Typical commercial, beauty parlor hair dryers are large stationary machines with hard, helmetlike hoods under which a person places her head. These hoods are supported by the machine such that the user merely sits with her head under and partly within the hood, but without touching the hood.

A significant development in hair dryer design is the portable hair dryer which is relatively light and small, and thus convenient for travel and home use. The reduced size and weight provides numerous obvious advantages; however, each of the various types of hoods employed with these dryers has certain unsatisfactory characteristics. In some dryers a hard, rigid hood is employed which has the disadvantage of being bulky for travel or storage, and thus tends to defeat the principal objective of portability. in other dryers the hood is made of flexible material which is collapsible for storage in a small container, but has a great many unpleasant operating characteristics described below.

These flexible hoods are bonnets which have a draw string or elastic band around the lower opening to make certain the bonnet fits snugly about the head. The snug fit not only irritates the users forehead, but often leaves an impression after use which is uncomfortable and unsightly for a considerable time. At the rear of the bonnet is an air inlet hose, the weight of which pulls downward causing the front of the hood to be pulled rearward against the users forehead and against curlers if they are used, causing further discomfort. The hoods with elastic bands are cumbersome to maneuver over the curlers; also such bands disturb hair near the back of the neck which may be set with small hair pins or clips. The discomfort of being encased in a tight-fitting bonnet is accentuated by having the inlet hose, which becomes hot, lie against the back of the users neck, and by having the close-fitting bonnet cover the ears which interferes with normal hearing.

With respect to actual efficiency in drying the hair, the bonnet-type hoods closely surround the users head with a resulting tendency of the air to recirculate through the hair and hood before being discharged. Recirculated air is partially saturated with moisture absorbed during its initial pass through the hair, and its capacity for further absorption of moisture is obviously reduced.

The hard hoods of stationary dryers mentioned above, while not portable in the practical sense, do provide numerous desirable operating features that are unavailable with bonnettype hoods of portable dryers. These hard hoods are substantially larger than the average users head, providing a space between the hood and the user's head for the air to pass freely. Consequently, the warm air makes essentially a single pass through the hair before being discharged, without recirculation. Thus, with oversized hoods, the capacity of the air to absorb moisture from the hair and to fully dry the hair is optimized, and discomfort and inconvenience to the user is minimized. Additionally, the space between the edges of the open part of the hood and the users head permits the air to expand as it exhausts, being thus slightly cooled, and minimizing the passage of hot, moist air directly adjacent the users face and neck.

As indicated above, efforts to combine the benefits of the hoods of stationary and portable dryers have not been satisfactory, particularly the effort to use hard hoods with portable dryers. One alternative effort has been to make flexible hoods function with the characteristics of hard hoods. A particularly significant reason why these efforts have also failed is the perpetuation in the prior art of an air distribution deficiency inherent to flexible hoods. Since the incoming air is conveyed to the hood via a conduit, it follows that the air will be introduced into the hood at a single location, usually at the rear of the hood, and air from this source is ultimately discharged through the many apertures in the inner layer. Particularly in collapsible hoods, air passing through apertures near the conduit inlet to the hood is much warmer and more forceful than air passing through remote apertures. This results in hot and cold spots within the hood which is both uncomfortable and inefficient in contrast to uniform drying capability.

In the present invention an entirely new and different structure is used which successfully provides the most desirable operation features of a hard hood, plus the light weight and collapsibility features of a flexible hood. In this new hood the entering airflow is distributed immediately to remote parts of the hood through one or more principal or primary air passages, each having a large cross section and generally circumscribing the hood. A plurality of secondary air passages are fed by the principal passage, the result being that all secondary passages and remote areas receive air at approximately the same time and at essentially the same temperature and pressure. Because the principal passage is quite large, and the airflow is quickly communicated completely around the hood, the greater than atmospheric air pressure within the hood tends to be equalized and uniform.

The total cross-sectional area of all the apertures through which air is discharged is substantially smaller than the cross section of the air inlet and the principal passage such that a pressure may be maintained within the passages, and the hood may be maintained in an inflated condition. More particularly, the collapsible hood constructed of flexible sheet material, is inflatable to a self-supporting helmet shape without the users head contacting the hood to support it.

SUMMARY OF THE lNVENTlON This invention is an improved hood for use with a hair dryer having a blower and heater which provide a flow of heated air. The hood is adapted to surround and dry the hair on the upper portion of a person's head and further adapted to receive and direct the airflow into the hair. This new hood comprises an outer and an inner layer of flexible sheet material, the layers having substantially the same dimensions, being disposed in overlying relationship in registry with each other, having an inherent helmet shape, and being inflatable to have an upper half with a top-closed part and a lower half with a bottomopen part. The two layers are secured to each other near the bottom part of the hood, and further secured together at a plurality of spaced junctions which define, between the layers and between the junctions, passages for the airflow from the blower and heater component. These passages include a principal passage of a predetermined cross section generally circumscribing the hood, and a plurality of secondary passages, each having a smaller cross section than the principal passage and each communicating between the principal passage and other selected portions of the hood. The inner layer includes a plurality of air discharge apertures communicating with each passage, whereby the airflow passes from the passages into the interior of the hood.

In one embodiment of this invention the cross-sectional area of the principal passage is substantially greater than the total cross-sectional area of all the apertures in the inside layer, whereby the airflow entering the passages of the hood under greater than atmospheric pressure may inflate and maintain the hood in an open helmet shape, without the need for external support. The invention further includes a support means for hoods described above, which is also highly collapsible for rendering the entire apparatus portable and convenient for operation and storage.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inflated hood, support, and container assembly 'of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the inflated hood,

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the hood, showing the basic polyconic shape,

FIG. 4 is a exploded view in perspective of the hoods components,

FIG. .5 is a plan view of the blank fonnable into a cone for the upper part of the hood,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the blank formable into a cone for the lower outside part of the hood,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 3, and through the air passages,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along lines 88 of FIG. 3 and through vertical junction lines,

FIG. 9 is a sectional plan view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 8, showing the inside of the hood and secondary air passages of the upper part,

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken through lines ll0 of FIG. 8 and through the principal air passage,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken through lines 1l11 of FIG. 8 and showing secondary air passages of the lower part of the hood,

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary elevation view of the support member and connection means for the hood,

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the rim at the lower edge of the hood,

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view through lines 14- 14 of FIG. 12 showing the connection of the support member to the hood, 7

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the container of FIG. 1, showing in full line, the hood collapsed and encased, and in dotted line a portion of the support member in operating position,

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a collapsible rim,

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary view of a folded portion of the collapsible rim,

FIG. 18 is a' perspective view of another embodiment of the hood,

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a side structing a hood, and

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a top panel blank for the hood of FIG. 19.

' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred form of the hood of this invention is shown in an inflated condition in FIG. 1. In this FIG. is shown a hair dryer assembly comprising the hood 1, a hollow telescoping arm 2, which supports the hood and also serves as a conduit for the heated airflow from the blower to the hood, and a carrying case 3 which encloses the blower and heater and serves as a base for the assembly during operation.

The hood has the general shape of an inverted bowl and is formed of an outer layer of flexible, plastic sheet material and a similar inner layer secured to the outer layer. These layers are joined, for example, by heating, sealing, sewing, gluing or any other known plastic-joining means, along numerous junction lines to form air passages defined by the lines between the layers. The hoods shape in a side elevation view is more specifically defined as being polyconic, in that the upper half 4 (FIG. 3) is cone shaped and flat across the top, and the bottom half is a similar but inverted cone.

These two flattened cones are formed from blanks cut of the plastic sheet material, a typical blank 6 being shown in FIG. 5. Each blank is wrapped to form the cone as indicated in FIG. 4; one set of opposing upper and lower cones 7 and 8 form the inner layer of the hood, and a second set of upper and lower cones 9 and form the outer layer. In fonning the hood each blank is wrapped into a cone shape with its respective adjacent side edges. joined at 7a, 8a, 9a, and 100, as shown in both panel blank used in con- FIGS. 3 and 4. The inner layer is completed by joining the cap and 13b of the cone. In a similar way, the outer layer. is completed by joining the bases of lower cone 10 to upper cone 9 along circumferential junction line 12, and by joining cap 14 to cone 9 at line 14a.

At edge 30 of the open end of the hood in FIGS. 1, 3 and '7, there is provision for a rim to be secured between the two layers. These layers are joined in a manner as described above, in a first junction line along their mutual terminal edges at 30 and a second junction line 30a spaced about one inch from the first line, forming between them a circumferential slot for encasing the rim 29. The rim is a semirigid plastic material that maintains the open end of the hood in a generally circular shape. This rim might be a closed hoop, or straight strip of plastic bent into a circular shape with its ends joined fixedly to remain in this shape.

In FIGS. 16 and 17 is a modified version of a collapsible rim 36 that is formable into a generally circular shape. This rim comprises a plurality of semirigid arcuate portions 31 spaced between flexible, reduced thickness hinge portions 32. When this or a comparable rim is secured to the open end of the hood, it will provide adequate support for defining a circular opening for the hood, and can be fully collapsible when inoperative.

The inner layer and outer layer are joined together by a plurality of junction lines 15a and 15b and junction spots 16, such that both primary and secondary air passages are defined between these junctions and between the layers. With the hood oriented in operative position as seen in FIGS. 3, 7 and 8, the axis of the cones being generally vertical, the slot for the rim defines horizontal lines 30 and 30a. The junction lines 15b in the lower half of the hood extend from the junction line 30a upward toward, .but not reaching, the midpoint junction line 12 of the upper and lower cones. Junction lines 15a between secondary passages of the upper cones extend generally vertically, each line having its lower end spaced about 1% inches from the center seam line 12, and its upper end spaced about 1 inch from junction lines and 14a where the caps join the upper cones.

As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the space between the upper end of each junction line 15b and the lower end of each junction line 15a is such that the resulting primary passage 17 has a cross-sectional area substantially greater than that of the secondary passages 18 formed between lines 15a and 15b. In the inflated hood shown in FIGS. 1 and 7-11, the various passages become filled with air, causing the hood to take and maintain a helmet shape. The air in these passages is discharged to the interior of the hood through the many aper- The caps 13 and 14 of the inner and outer layers respectively, are joined at four junction spots 16 with the result that a second primary air passage 21 is formed which circumscribes the flat top of the upper cone. The junction spots 16 serve the dual function of defining the passage 21 and preventing the inner layercap 13 from ballooning downward into the hood interior, which must remain essentially empty to leave space for the user's head.

A boot 22, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 12-14, is attached to the rear of the hood for connecting the hood to the support conduit 2, as shown in FIG. 1, extending from the carrying case 3, as also shown in FIG. I. The boot is essentially a short rectangular tube having a flange 220 at the end that adjoins the hood. The boot is disposed so that the hoods outer layer is sandwiched between the boot flange and a sealing band23 conforming to the flange dimensions, the three elements being joined by rivets 28 or other connection means. The lower part of the boot includes a hinge part 24 (FIG. 12) secured to the rim 29 within the hood and pivotally secured to the principal part of the boot. The hinge permits the boot to be pivoted to operative position with the axis of the boot and of conduit 2 and pivoted to inoperative posigenerally perpendicular for storage (FIG.

generally coaxial (FIG. 12), tion with the axes 15).

The boot may be secured in the operative position by a latch means including a spring 25 having one end riveted to the conduit 2 and the other end formed into a hook 26 to engage a shoulder or detent 27 of the boot. In the conduit a button 33 is mounted with its end being adjacent the spring such that axial pressure on the button will deflect the spring 25 and release the boot to be pivoted to its inoperative position.

Further in accordance with the concept of portability and collapsibility of the hair dryer components, the support conduit is made of two or more telescoping tubular members having rectangular cross sections. In FIG. 1 and in FIG. 15 (in dotted lines) the conduit is shown in fully extended position; in FIG. 15 (in full lines) the conduit 2 is shown retracted and pivoted to closed position, with the rim 29, boot 22, and sheet material 1 of the hood also pivoted against the conduit to 00- cupy minimum space.

When the hood of this invention is operated the airflow from the conduit 2 passes through the boot 22 and into the air passages adjacent the boot (FIG. 3). The largest passage, and thus the one of least resistance to the further flow of air is the principal passage 17 which passes very near the boot, the result being that the air flows freely through passage 17, completely around to the front of the hood, and then becomes distributed to the secondary passages 15a and 15b above and below passage 17. The second principal passage 21 also becomes fully inflated whereby the air travels completely around the top of the hood and then is distributed downward into the secondary passages 15a.

Because of the large diameter of the principal passages and the rapid distribution of air after it traverses the boot, the pressure of air in the flow becomes equalized throughout the hood with resulting uniformity of the discharge through the spaced apertures located substantially over the entire inner layer surface. Each principal passage also functions as a reservoir in which a supply of air under pressure is maintained, the reservoir being a factor in maintaining the selflsupporting helmet shape of the hood, in addition to supplying the secondary passages.

As indicated above, the sheet material in the preferred embodiment of this hood invention is a vinyl thermoplastic of about 0.005-inch thickness, which is well adapted for heat sealing at the numerous junctions between the layers. Vinyl has further desirable characteristics in being essentially impervious to the penetration of airand to absorption of water or even of moisture from the air in contact with the layers.

An alternative sheet material, is spinnaker cloth which has most of the same advantages of flexibility, lightweight, and economy. This is a calendered nylon fabric, and during its manufacture the woven threads are welded together by a process utilizing pressure and heat which produces a fabric of great strength and stability, and which is highly resistant to the penetration of air or the absorption of moisture. Junctions of layers of this fabric in the hood are made by stitching rather than heat sealing. A silicone coating applied to the fabric would further improve its moisture-resistant characteristics. Obviously other flexible sheet material having the required physical characteristics could be employed.

The blower used with the preferred hood provides an airflow of about 35-45 cubic feet per minute, and the heater component is rated at about 700 watts to raise the temperature of air reaching the hood to a maximum of 150 F. A control unit adjusts both the rate of flow and the temperature to desired levels.

Mounted within the carrying case 3 shown in FIG. 1, are the blower and heater components, one disposed on each side of the conduit. The lid 3a is hingedly connected to the case and covers the collapsed and flattened hood, resulting a highly compact unit. The hood of the present invention could be constructed in a variety of ways, one further embodiment being shown in FIGS. 18-20. Both the inner and outer layers of this hood 34 are formed of six similar panels or staves 35 which are joined at their adjacent sides. For each layer the cap part 37 is a hexagonal blank, each of its edges being joined to the top edge 38 of one panel. The junctions between these components of the hood may be joined by any of the abovedescribed methods including heat sealing when the sheet material is vinyl or its equivalent, and stitching or gluing when the material is an appropriate cloth. A principal air passage may be formed to circumscribe the lower part of the hood, as shown, the middle part as in FIG. 7, or elsewhere, such that the desired airflow distribution and pressure equalization is achieved.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes, and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the spirit of the invention and within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

I claim: g

1. For use with a hair dryer having a blower and a heater which provide a flow of heated air, the improvement in combination therewith of a collapsible hood adapted to surround the hair on the upper portion of a person's head and further adapted to receive and direct the airflow into the hair to dry the hair, the hood comprising:

a. an outer layer and an inner layer of flexible sheet material, the layers being disposed in overlying position in registry with each other, having an inherent helmet shape and being inflatable to have an upper portion with a topclosed part and a lower portion with a bottom-open part,

b. the two layers being secured to each other at portions thereof near the bottom part, I

c. the layers being further secured together at a plurality of spaced junctions which def ne, between the layers and between the junctions, passages through which the air will flow, the passages including:

1. a first principal passage of predetermined cross section generally circumscribing the hood, and

2. a plurality of secondary passages, each having a smaller cross section than the first principal passage, and each communicating between the principal passage and other selected portions of the hood,

d. the inner layer including a plurality of air discharge apertures, whereby the airflow passes from the passages into the interior of the hood, and

e. a rim formed of a plurality of arcuate portions spaced between reduced thickness hinge portions, the rim being secured to the layers at the bottom part thereof and formable into a generally circular shape for defining the bottom opening, and being foldable at the hinge portions for collapsing the hood.

2. For use with a hair dryer having a carrying case, an air heater and blower mounted in the case, a hood having internal air passages and a semirigid rim at its bottom-open part, the hood having an inherent helmet shape and being both inflatable into a self-supporting open condition and collapsible, the improvement in combination therewith of means for supporting the hood and for communicating the air from the blower to air passages in the hood, the means comprising a telescoping tubular member a. having one end pivotally mounted in the case permitting the member to be pivoted from an inoperative position within the case to an operative telescoped position extending out of the case, and

b. having the remote end thereof pivotally connected to the rim and to the outer layer of the hood for communicating the air to the passages therein, and

c. the carrying case being generally cylindrical and operatively positioned with the axis thereof vertical, the blower and heater components being spaced apart, the tubular member in inoperative position being disposed horizontally between the blower and heater, the hood when collapsed being disposed above the blower, heater and tubular member, and the case further comprising a hinged lid adaptable to cover the components in the case.

material for surrounding the sides and top of the person's head, the layers at the sides of the hood being secured together along spaced generally upright lines to form a plurality of upright air passages;

. b. the inner layer of sheet material having a multiplicity of perforations therethrough for distributing the air to the persons hair;

c. said layers forming between them approximately midway between the bottom and top of the hood a peripheral main air supply passage, an auxiliary air supply passage formed between the layers extending around the periphery of the hood top;

d. said main and auxiliary air supply passages being connected with said upright air passages, and

e. means for feeding air from the blower to said main and auxiliary air supply passages.

4. A hair dryer hood according to claim 3 in which,

a. a carrying case is provided for the hood,

b. the air heater and blower are mounted in the carrying case, and

c. a hollow supporting arm is connected between the hood and the carrying case, the air being fed through said hollow arm to said main and auxiliary air supply passages. 

1. For use with a hair dryer having a blower and a heater which provide a flow of heated air, the improvement in combination therewith of a collapsible hood adapted to surround the hair on the upper portion of a person''s head and further adapted to receive and direct the airflow into the hair to dry the hair, the hood comprising: a. an outer layer and an inner layer of flexible sheet material, the layers being disposed in overlying position in registry with each other, having an inherent helmet shape and being inflatable to have an upper portion with a top-closed part and a lower portion with a bottom-open part, b. the two layers being secured to each other at portions thereof near the bottom part, c. the layers being further secured together at a plurality of spaced junctions which define, between the layers and between the junctions, passages through which the air will flow, the passages including:
 1. a first principal passage of predetermined cross section generally circumscribing the hood, and
 2. a plurality of secondary passages, each having a smaller cross section than the first priNcipal passage, and each communicating between the principal passage and other selected portions of the hood, d. the inner layer including a plurality of air discharge apertures, whereby the airflow passes from the passages into the interior of the hood, and e. a rim formed of a plurality of arcuate portions spaced between reduced thickness hinge portions, the rim being secured to the layers at the bottom part thereof and formable into a generally circular shape for defining the bottom opening, and being foldable at the hinge portions for collapsing the hood.
 2. a plurality of secondary passages, each having a smaller cross section than the first priNcipal passage, and each communicating between the principal passage and other selected portions of the hood, d. the inner layer including a plurality of air discharge apertures, whereby the airflow passes from the passages into the interior of the hood, and e. a rim formed of a plurality of arcuate portions spaced between reduced thickness hinge portions, the rim being secured to the layers at the bottom part thereof and formable into a generally circular shape for defining the bottom opening, and being foldable at the hinge portions for collapsing the hood.
 2. For use with a hair dryer having a carrying case, an air heater and blower mounted in the case, a hood having internal air passages and a semirigid rim at its bottom-open part, the hood having an inherent helmet shape and being both inflatable into a self-supporting open condition and collapsible, the improvement in combination therewith of means for supporting the hood and for communicating the air from the blower to air passages in the hood, the means comprising a telescoping tubular member a. having one end pivotally mounted in the case permitting the member to be pivoted from an inoperative position within the case to an operative telescoped position extending out of the case, and b. having the remote end thereof pivotally connected to the rim and to the outer layer of the hood for communicating the air to the passages therein, and c. the carrying case being generally cylindrical and operatively positioned with the axis thereof vertical, the blower and heater components being spaced apart, the tubular member in inoperative position being disposed horizontally between the blower and heater, the hood when collapsed being disposed above the blower, heater and tubular member, and the case further comprising a hinged lid adaptable to cover the components in the case.
 3. A hair dryer having a blower and a heater which provide a flow of heated air, and a collapsible hood for surrounding the hair on the upper portion of a person''s head comprising, a. inner and outer coextensive layers of flexible sheet material for surrounding the sides and top of the person''s head, the layers at the sides of the hood being secured together along spaced generally upright lines to form a plurality of upright air passages; b. the inner layer of sheet material having a multiplicity of perforations therethrough for distributing the air to the person''s hair; c. said layers forming between them approximately midway between the bottom and top of the hood a peripheral main air supply passage, an auxiliary air supply passage formed between the layers extending around the periphery of the hood top; d. said main and auxiliary air supply passages being connected with said upright air passages, and e. means for feeding air from the blower to said main and auxiliary air supply passages.
 4. A hair dryer hood according to claim 3 in which, a. a carrying case is provided for the hood, b. the air heater and blower are mounted in the carrying case, and c. a hollow supporting arm is connected between the hood and the carrying case, the air being fed through said hollow arm to said main and auxiliary air supply passages. 